Tata Group-owned Air India has received delivery of the first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft after the privatisation of the airline around four years ago, PTI reported.
This is also the airline's first line-fit or custom-made Dreamliner. Typically, a line fit describes an aircraft built specifically for a certain airline.
The report quoted an official as saying that Air India has finished the title transfer of the Dreamliner at Boeing's Everett factory in Seattle on 7 January.
Following inspections by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the aircraft, which is also the first Dreamliner to be acquired by Air India after the Tata Group took over in January 2022, is expected to arrive in India in the coming days.
The new aircraft features a three-class layout including economy, premium economy, and business class seats.
The last Dreamliner aeroplane that Air India acquired was in October 2017, when the airline was still under government ownership.
The official told the news agency that the new aircraft is the airline's first wide-body and 52nd overall delivery from the 220 Boeing jets ordered in 2023.
Air India Express has already received 51 narrow-body Boeing 737-8s, including its first line-fit plane that was incorporated in late December.
Orders after Tata's acquisition
Following Tata's acquisition in January 2022, Air India ordered 350 Airbus and 220 Boeing aircraft. Of the Airbus order, 6 A350s have already been added to the Air India fleet.
Air India already operates 26 B787-8s and 6 B787-9s previously operated by Vistara, which was merged into the airline, the report said.
Air India Group currently operates more than 300 aircraft, with 185 belonging to Air India and the rest to Air India Express.
The official also noted that an additional dozen legacy Dreamliners with refreshed interiors are expected to return to service by 2026.
Last November, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson stated that by the end of 2026, Air India Group plans to add 26 wide-body and narrow-body aeroplanes and have 81% of its international flights operated with upgraded aircraft.
